wishful thinking

American  

noun

1. interpretation of facts, actions, words, etc., as one would like them to be rather than as they really are; imagining as actual what is not.

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wishful thinking British  

noun

1. the erroneous belief that one's wishes are in accordance with reality

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wishful thinking Idioms  

1. Interpreting matters as one would like them to be, as opposed to what they really are. For example, Matthew wanted to be a basketball player, but with his height that was wishful thinking. This term comes from Freudian psychology of the mid-1920s and soon began to be used more loosely.

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Other Word Forms

• wishful thinker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of wishful thinking

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Wishful thinking, but I wouldn’t bet against it.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 4, 2023

Wishful thinking must play a part in the assessments they share with journalists.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2023

Wishful thinking about playing with his son, Bronny, is just wishful thinking.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2022

Wishful thinking about avoiding what Thomas Jefferson famously dubbed “entangling alliances” was rampant during ratification debates.

From Washington Times • Feb. 1, 2022

Wishful thinking inspired all these arguments, but they were persuasive enough to carry English colonists to Virginia.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018